The only time you should stop investing in yourself

Today, I’m a year older and it’s a noble feeling. Every 18th day of September always feels special, I’m not sure why. Even though I think the last 12 months have gone by so fast. I almost didn’t believe it’s already the 261st day of the year; there are just 104 days remaining until the end of the year. I’m most thankful to God and for Life, it has been beautiful thus far.

I’m thankful for electricity! Seriously, in the past few months, power supply has improved in Lagos and that’s commendable. These days I delay ironing my cloths until I’m about to step out. I wouldn’t do that two months back.

I’m thankful for extraordinary people like you; especially for always taking time out to read and digest long posts on this blog.

I’m thankful for life’s experiences and challenges. Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Grateful to President Muhamadu Buhari, for deeming me fit for nomination as potentially the youngest Minister for Youth & Development in the history of the most populous nation in Africa, Nigeria. This indeed bold and I feel really honoured!

Thankful for the quality of friends I have, great people! Thankful for Mistakes, learning from mistakes. Without them, I would not have learnt so much over the years.

Thankful for wisdom – wisdom that comes with age. Thankfully, I have grown smarter over time. Forgive my very many expression of gratitude; I have cultivated the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to me, and to give thanks continuously. As for President Buhari’s nomination, I haven’t received it yet, but hope to receive similar nomination someday 🙂

I am well aware that the investment business is worth hundreds of millions of naira a year and organisations spend millions to get your money and hope you believe their investment strategy is the best. However, the investment I don’t really hear people talk about is investing in themselves. I think that time and time again this is absolutely the best investment you can make in your life.

I’m not simply talking about taking more university courses or mandatory trainings from your employer. I am referring to making a commitment to learn new skills and improve old ones. I think that when we make the commitment to invest in ourselves, the return on investment will begin to multiply exponentially over time.

At First we may not notice the pay-off from the investment, but there will surely be a time when the growth will sky rocket. Investing in oneself can lead to promotions at work, starting new businesses, better health, improving relationships, and much more. It is really the investment that keeps on paying dividends.

A friend recently told me that his first degree is enough for him and there’s really no reason to learn anymore. I’m forced to think that the major reasons why people stop learning are cost, time, and laziness. If that is the case then we’re lucky we live in the best time ever to continue our education. We have access to learning at our fingertips that our ancestors only dreamed of having.

Investing in oneself may well be the most profitable investment we ever make. The surest way to achieve a better quality life, to be successful, productive, and satisfied has to be placing a priority on investing in both personal and professional growth. I think that the effort we put into consistently investing in ourselves plays a large role in determining the quality of our lives now and in the future.

But the question is; is this continuous self-investment really worth it? If it does, then what ways do you think we can continually invest in ourselves?

Happy birthday my friend! Yes, gratefulness is one of the most important habits to cultivate. And indeed, we shall all await your nomination from President Buhari! A great reminder that investing in yourself is critical to success. Thank you for sharing!
Julian

Learning as you mention is a good investment in self. Reading, listening, and watching are avenues we can take advantage of in this day and age. I’m committed to all three avenues in my bid to access a wide range of knowledge, which helps me grow.